@Businessman

Teach them that investment about risk, nis cannot allways invest in safe ares.

When we buy insurance policy it is about risk taking, some people call it gambling.

UNEDUCATED | November 29, 2011 at 9:37 PM |
“I am not impressed, so come again if you know how to come.”

I know your are not impressed but envious. I prefer to arrive on my own steam and in time to meet the other party with a simultaneous cry and shout. Unlike you having a brush with the bespectacled Chinese man selling forced erection via the gra(m) at a time!
You have already exited the closet but I shall remain in the ladies room dealing with one natural oil search at a time.

@Uneducated

I think that miller and george forget that we have invested in the Hilton. Owen smahed up a relatively young hotel at the time. Why?
******************
An old bird who has joined the ancestors told me that the roof was leaking, that is why we have a new Hilton. I guess there were no roofers in Bim.

There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza, dear Liza
There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza, a hole. etc

Happy Independence

From: Hal Austin [mailto:t.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 4:25 AM
To: Hal Austin
Subject: Notes From a Native Son – Bajan rum

I have long been calling for a legal definition and regulation of Barbadian rum and a formal training system for apprentice distillers.

But, partly because our politicians and policymakers do not have a manufacturing mindset and partly because the rum sector in Barbados has been controlled by a small clique, this call has been falling on deaf ears.

Remarkably, in tough economic times, when the only real global product Barbados has is its rum, people promoted beyond their capabilities are found making major long-term decisions for the nation.

Our political leaders would rather fantasise about our high-class tourism and the so-called high development standard based on some bogus index.

At the risk of being a bore, we must legally define what we mean by Barbados rum: is it the method and process of manufacturing? The breed and yield of the sugar cane molasses? What is it?

Whatever it is, we must put that down in law. If we do not, the term Barbados, Bajan or Barbadian rum will in time become a generic term, just as Demerara sugar has done.

Once we have legally defined it, we must then defend that legal position by setting up a national rum council, the equivalent of the French Appellation Controllee, which will issue certification for all approved local rum.

We only have to look at the unscrupulous in which the Indians are trying to rip off Scotch Whisky.

Then we need to put in place a proper training system to teach young people the art of rum-making.

Whisky contributes £20bn to the Scottish economy, while rum contributes Bds$66m. Think about it.

Hal Austin

The interests of the businessman and those of the country do not coincide in this case. Given the current state of teh project, a businessman would prefer to wait for receivership and then be bale to invest cheaply. He is unlikely to want to come forward at this stage.

For me, the issue is that the receivership procdess could take three years, that might not be in the national interest. If IADB wants to help rescue the project, which for good business reasons a businessman would not, why should we walk away from the possible IADB rescue when the economy badly needs a project of this type at this time.

I sense some tea party type thinking. If the project gets rescued it would be trumpeted as a DLP triumph, many do not want that as they see a chance for a one-term.

Should we risk the economy and miss a growth opportunity just to spite the DLP. I am bajan first, so for me the answer is no.

mount gay is owned by Rémy Cointreau . cockspur rum is owned by goddards. four square ny rl seale. ideally barbados rum should come from barbados molasses. we don’t have enough sugar can to meet the demands so we import molasses. Now by doing this we transform what is barbados rum. fact is a very little can be truly called barbados rum. this make hal initial suggest very hard to accomplish. we would need varying degree of barbados rum. such as pure barbados rum and made in barbados rum. with former use all local ingredient and latter not. this would allow production to continue and not having a force stop and waiting to ensure the new classification is followed. the whole process would need to be trademarked and register name to follow to hold the brandings..

most interesting buried in today paper. Is Iadb is still awaiting final plans from four season project backers. So while we go and rush off not knowing what nis gotten itself into we find out that reasonable due diligence hasn’t been performed as yet.

Now if government would just guarantee the loan as they did for the Clearwater bailout to the 4s backers no one would be arguing not to invest in four seasons. the comparison to Hilton is nonsense as the hotel was functioning and profitable for year.it not the same case. the comparison to bl&p is also follish as bl&p was and continues to be a profitable company. four seasons is unknown entity and as can be show be example they can fail, they can also succeed. Is this where we want out pension money to be placed. have we not learned enough from clico lack of due diligence in investing and grand scheming. if the government wish to do the work let them fund it. All it take is signature and funds would appear.

Happy Independence day to all BU bloggers and readers.

George C. Brathwaite | November 30, 2011 at 10:42 AM | @PM, call elections NOW I am a proud black man, but I am not so myopic to believe that the only persons to have sacrificed in the interest of national development have been only blacks, or only persons born in this country.

You have my sympathy.

What I found most interesting in todays paper was the “Smart Energy Fund.” Its independence day, so I am going to be optimistic. I hope this is the start of us making our mark as a green economy.

I am going to inquire tomorrow how to get my business on board.

Be part of teh solution people, griping gets us nowhre, get up and get.

You see on this here blog everyone seeks to wrap themselves in the flag, and claim they are not political, they just want what is best for the country.

However, somehow, someway, anthony, miller etc. always end up focused on the negative and beating up ont he government.

The Smart energy fund was in the dlp manifesto. It has now been launched. The Iadb says its could be a game changer an example and model for the region. But not a peep. anthony picks out the bit from the same iadb about four seasons that he thinks could be negative.

The administration has implemented a comprehensive alternative energy program:
tax incentives; duty free allowances and now a fund. Yet for the for the perenial naysayers on this blog they aint doing nothing as a government.

The upper and middle class in bim vex. They pissed that people at the lower levels of the public service have not been laid en masse yet as a means of getting the fiscal deficit down. They vex that instead their entertainment allowances have been taxed. They cruel that VAT on their imported luxuries has gone up by 2.5%. They acid that the government has continued to focus on building homes that poor and lower middle income people can access. They hopping mad that there is no open door immigration policy for their nannies, gardeners and construction workers. The international business people want a special immigration service for the white people who want to come here.

This is class warfare people, and BU and Underground are now the launching stations for the upper and middle classes.

I poor class, I know my interests.

This and other blogs are not about a national discourse on nation building anymore. This blog is about getting back at the DLP for the taxing of entertainment allownaces, the special gas tax and the 2.5% increase in vat.

The blog now reflects the bitterness of the priviledged, who have convinced themselves that laying off thousands of persons and cutting social services is a lesser evil than taxing their entertainment allowances, and all paying an extra 2.5 VAT and a special gas tax for ap period of time.

So much for being your brother’s keeper.

I aint educated and big up like you all but I can read george,and i take the time to do so with a clear mind free of party or ideological baggage.

From what i have read, S&P and others are saying that due to the turn in the global economy during the third quarter of 2011 the prospects for the barbados economy have changed.

I am not sure what yu reading, but I have seen no IMF or S&P analysis saying the medium term fiscal strategy was flawed. They are saying that the global recovery has been weaker than everyone include themselves expected and more belt tightening might be needed in barbados.

In fact S&P seems to be saying that in light of the worsening global outlook, the fiscal measures of 2010 should be kept and not reversed in 18 months as stated. The IMF for sure has asked for the 17.5% VAT to be permanent

I am at a loss as to why you people cannot see that things would be hard in this country at this time whoever was in power. The UK went for a strategy that many here seemed to be advocating and applauding and now they are revising everything, and despite dramatic cuts in expenditure they will borrow more than last year. The cuts have had such an impact on gdp that revenue intake is much lower than expected.

I aint no trained body but I got a good brain. Yu and a lot of people are very keen to point that tax increases can hurt spending to the point that you collect less than before the cut. I can understand that possibility. The same people, however, seem unable to see that if you lay off people that the money those people used to spend will also hurt spending in the economy. they have not explained to simple minds like mine why the latter would necessarily outweigh the former. Of course the social fall out is off the radar.

What we do have in many circles, including the economics profession is an ideological position that taxes must not go up, and that the poor and their types of jobs are more dispensable.

By all means take a different view.

Poor Class | November 30, 2011 at 11:58 AM |
Happy Independence Day!
As the Merry Men song goes: “God bless Bim on Independence Day!”

So you want us to stop beating up on this government!
Well, so us you mean well!
Enact Integrity & FOI legislation as promised and we will stop the harassment! Scout’s honour! We promise to honour our pledge!

Now don’t go blaming the international recession for this lack of action, you hear?
Of course neither you nor business man will respond to this since you will deem it political. Give us an Independence Day surprise and speak to the issue without blaming the BLP.

GCB & anthony watch to see the ‘deviation’ response, if any, from the hypocrites!

Poor Class | November 30, 2011 at 12:18 PM |

The tax-free allowances should not be reinstated. Any ability to do so should be used to increase salaries for the police, teachers (with a ban on lessons for pay and an extended workday to 4:30PM), nurses and firemen.

http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=local&NewsID=21268

Tighten your belts – with the PM anticipating a difficult 2012, I expect a post Xmas’11/January 2012 election, to make room for a suitable 2012 budget.

Dear PM, sell 49% of the seaport and airport to Barbadians, including credit unions, the NIS and workers unions. Both will still be owned by Barbadians and the GOB can reduce some debt and invest in 4S. No need for NIS funds.

@George

when you speak of morale, it is osa that destreyed in in the public service and he killed it wih an inferior 2007 public service act. He wasted the money when there was plenty and allowed a lot to be misappropiated. The great european coutires including the one you are in is having a rought, time, do u espect little barbados can do much in this recession? Where is the capital inflow is going to come from to stimulate the economy? Our economy is structurla dependent on the world economy.

Why dont you talk about osa and mia, what happened to all the long talk about osa convening a meeting with pac etc. Dont start me u should not be teaching in any institution, u r intellectually dishonest.

@Miller

Perhaps u might be bettered served in the closet since you have something to hide and your impotence woiuld be hidden.

@UNEDUCATED

Some business seem more eager to fail the others. some people fail to use common sense and go blindly with the risk too high. guess that why government doesn’t even want to guarantee it. less we forget the stupid project under the blp and dlp.

you know when i listen to owen what i hear him really saying is that a different set of people getting government work. I also hear the same sentiment on this blog.

I know people with businesses who aint get a drop of work from the government for 14 years, while some others got barfe work. so pray tell me, the other people don’t deserve a chance now. methinks thats the way patronage works.

ASnthony you are sounding more and more desparate and partisan. Government does not want to guarantee the project because they have little or no fiscal space and want to hold on to the investment grade credit rating.

There must be no high profile DLP successes, some people are on the verge of winning back a government. All the forces will be brought to bear to make sure this does not happen.

To Poor Class:
Where is the evidence or data to demonstrate that the youth came out last election and voted for the DLP or David Thompson’s leadership? Where is the data to demonstrate that the youth voted in any great numbers in the last election? Where is the evidence that Mia Mottley controls the youth vote; participating in a football tournament does not translate into leading the youth any where. This class warfare thing is old and tired; in fact it is one of the old refrains from cave hill political scientists. We need more substance than your broad statements which are then supported bu the next blogger who obviously carries similar political colors.